The invention relates to a TV signal receiver having a first input terminal for receiving a first input signal, a first unit for deriving from the first input signal a first TV signal to be supplied to a first input of a signal combination unit, a second unit for deriving from a second input signal a second TV signal to be supplied to a second input of the signal combination unit, the signal combination unit being arranged for replacing in response to a first control signal at least a part of the signal received at its first input by the signal received at its second input so as to obtain a composite TV signal for supplying to an output of the signal combination unit, the signal combination unit further adapted to supply the signal received at its first input to the output in response to a second control signal, the output of the signal combination unit being coupled to an output of the TV signal receiver, the TV signal receiver further comprises control signal generator means for generating the first and second control signal.
The invention further relates to a method of providing a second TV signal to a customer whom is watching by means of a TV signal receiver a first TV signal, the first and second TV signal being broadcast simultaneously.
A TV receiver defined above is known from WO-98/36563 (PHN 16.230). The known TV receiver receives a first TV signal. Said first TV signal comprises TV programs of a given length and is regularly interrupted by, for example commercials or other information. The TV receiver is further arranged for receiving and storing a second TV signal. The second TV signal could comprise commercials being preferably commercials about products in which they are especially interested, information about other subjects such as, for example stock exchange news or the weather forecast or other information. The known TV receiver could output a stored second TV signal as soon as an interruption in the first TV signal occurs.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a TV signal receiver with improved capabilities to display the second TV signal.
The TV signal receiver in accordance with the invention is characterized in that the TV signal receiver further comprises a storage device (17) for storing and reading the first TV signal so as to enable to delay the first TV signal derived by the first unit prior to submitting the first TV signal to the signal combination unit, the storage device (17) being adapted to suspend reading the first TV signal in response to the first control signal and adapted to resume reading the first TV signal in response to the second control signal, the second TV signal having parameters, the control signal generator means being adapted to generated the first control signal in dependence of the parameters of the second TV signal.
The invention is based on the following recognition. Now a days, via transmission media, such as cable, terrestrial broadcasting, satellite broadcasting, the internet, a huge amount of TV signals. The TV signal could be an entire TV program, but could also be a commercial, weather forecast, police message, an item in a newscast, a highlight of a football match.
There are TV signals that a user would have watched at the time of broadcasting, if he knew when and via which channel said TV signals were broadcast. However, as he already was watching a TV program, he was not aware of the broadcasting of a TV signal of his interest and thus could not see said TV signal.
On the other hand, if the user knows when a TV signal of his interest is broadcast and he is watching another TV signal that time, he could zap to the TV signal of his interest. However, if he does so, a part of the other TV signal could not been seen as he is watching the program of is interest. So, if he was watching a movie, he could miss a very interesting part of said movie.
The TV signal receiver in accordance with the invention uses parameters, such as audio-visual content descriptors, to determine if a TV signal of a user""s interest is broadcast. The second unit receives said TV signal and supplies said TV signal to the signal combination unit to enable to supply said TV signal to a display unit. The same time the TV signal of his interest is received, the first unit continues receiving the TV signal the user was watching. From now on, the first unit supplies the TV signal to a storage device. After the TV signal of his interest is broadcast, or if the user indicates he is not interested any more in said TV signal, the storage device supplies a delayed version of the TV signal to the signal combination unit. As the storage device supplies a delayed version a the TV signal, the user is able to continue watching of the TV program, he was watching prior to the broadcast of the TV signal of his interest, without missing a part of said TV program.
Preferably, the TV signal receiver comprises user actuatable input means for receiving a first command to be supplied to the control means for receiving a first command to be supplied to the control signal generator means in order to generate the second control signal. This has the advantage that the user can stop watching the second TV signal and resume watching the first TV signal if he finds the first TV signal is more interesting than the second TV signal.
In a preferred embodiment of the TV signal receiver the TV signal receiver is characterized in that the control signal generator means further being adapted to derive the first control signal in dependence of a user profile. The user profile is used to determine if the content of the TV signals supplied at the inputs of the TV signal receiver is of any interest of the user. A TV signal of interest of the user is then identified as the second TV signal. If more than one TV signals of interest are broadcast simultaneously, the user profile may be used to determine which TV signal is most interesting for the user.
In a further embodiment of the TV signal receiver the control signal generator means further being adapted to derive the first control signal from the first input signal. The first input signal could comprise more then one TV channels, such as DVB. Via each TV channel a TV signal is transmitted. Simultaneous with the various TV signals in the DVB signal, information about the content of the various TV signals is submitted. Said information is used to determine if a TV signal should be identified as the second TV signal. As the information is textual information or defined by the DVB standard, this information is suitable to derive the first control signal from the first input signal. It is even possible that said information comprises information about the content of TV signal that are transmitted via another DVB signal or via another transmission medium as the transmission medium of the first input signal.
In another embodiment of the TV signal receiver the control signal generator means derives the first control signal from a second input signal receive via a second input terminal. The second input could be connected to a service provider via a telephone line. The service provider generates information about the TV signals supplied to the TV receiver. The service provider selects those TV signals that might be of interest of the user and supplies the necessary information about those TV signals to the TV receiver. Examples of necessary information are the channel for deriving the TV signal, type of information. The service provider may supply the information via the internet.